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The British pound sterling is the most valuable of the world's major trading currencies. You can check the conversion rate of British pounds to Canadian dollars on a banking website such as XE Currency Converter (xe.com), or you can convert money yourself at a British Post Office (postoffice.co.uk), bank or airport kiosk. All countries, islands and territories in the United Kingdom use British pounds, but the currency denomination "pounds" is also used for local currencies in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

About British Pounds

Pounds sterling, in the form of silver coins, have been around since 775 A.D., but the current system of units that make up a pound -- 100 pence, divided into one, two, five, 10, 20 and 50 pence coins -- was only created in 1971. This new pound sterling is used in the United Kingdom countries of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, as well as Britain's outlying islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Saint Helena and Ascension, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan da Cunha.

About Canadian Dollars

In Canada, the unit of currency is called the dollar, just as in the United States, but it is an independently valued currency system. Developed in 1817, the Canadian dollar used the Spanish dollar as their currency model, just as the United States did. The two currencies are still close contemporaries in denominations and value. Canadian coins come in one cent, five, 10 and 25 cents as well as one dollar and two dollar denominations. The one dollar coin is known as the "loonie," as it has Canada's national bird, the loon, printed on its back.

Shared Characteristics

Canadian dollars and British pounds share in common their use of figureheads on bills and coins. Canada remains a British Commonwealth nation and considers the current monarch of the United Kingdom as their ceremonial head of state. An image of Britain's current queen, Elizabeth II, is on the back of every Canadian and British coin, as well as a feature on some bank notes in both countries.

Other Countries With Pounds

Independent countries that use pounds, like Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, all have currency systems independent from Britain with exchange rates that differ greatly. All three countries divide their pounds into 100 piastres, but Egypt is the only country of the three with a valuable enough currency to use coins divided into piastres.

About the Author

Emily Manthei holds a masters degree from the University of Edinburgh and has written for publications as diverse as the "Oxford Journal of Theological Studies," "Emanuel Levy Film Reviews," "USA Today" and "Northern Express Magazine." She also writes screenplays for short and feature films.

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